A term used in soil science and geography to describe the orientation of a sloping terrain surface or vineyard slope in relation to the points of the compass. The aspect is expressed in degrees relative to north (often simply as, for example, ‘south-facing’ or similar):

1 = 0° = north-facing slope – comparatively low direct sunlight, often referred to as the ‘shadow side’
2 = 90° = east-facing slope – plenty of morning sun
3 = 180° = south-facing slope – particularly intense sunlight in Central Europe, often referred to as the ‘sunny side’
4 = 270° = west-facing slope – plenty of evening sun; in Central Europe, exposed to significant weather influences
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Thomas Götz
Weinberater, Weinblogger und Journalist; Schwendi